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By Medical Bill & Claim Resolution (MBCR) | Submitted On June 03, 2012 We've previously reported on many different kinds of situations where the average American patient can receive hugely inflated medical bills in the mail. Some of the most egregious examples are related to simple screening procedures that can easily get out of hand in terms of the total cost to the patient. Some of these have been covered extensively by nationally known senior advocate organizations and other groups that look out for the financial well-being of America's older consumers. Others affect all ages of patients equally. All of them are creating enormous pressure on the average family, as medical costs continue to represent one of the biggest financial challenges, and one of the most present threats of bankruptcy, for the majority of American households. Routine Colonoscopy and Anesthesia One prime example of this hidden cost is a colonoscopy procedure that helps screen for colon cancer. Many Americans agree to undergo this procedure as they age, in order to protect themselves from a disease that can often go unrecognized. However, one of the problems with the colonoscopy procedure is the way that sedation care typically works. In a clinical sense, there's nothing wrong with the system. Doctors allow patients to elect the type of anesthesia that they want for this procedure, including twilight sedation or full general anesthesia. The problem comes in, as it usually does, when outside anesthesiologists show up on the scene. Typically, an anesthesiologist has a contracting agreement with a hospital or doctor's office. This doesn't mean that the patient's insurance will cover this provider. It's rare that a patient takes the time to ask about these financial relationships while he or she is receiving care. However, very few providers will volunteer this information up front. That leads to a flood of out-of-network bills for anesthesia procedures that get sent out to American homes each year. Vigilance in Health Care Costs These kinds of problems are endemic in the American healthcare system. Essentially, there's no one looking out for the average consumer, and there doesn't seem to be much of a consolidated, national political will to really put procedures in place to guard against surprise medical bills. Until the nation as a whole comes to its senses about how to approach private healthcare insurance and its role in the "medical market," third-party medical consumer advocates will continue to play a larger role in helping American families, not just to deal with huge medical bills, but to avoid these kinds of financial heartaches in the first place. Minimize your risk by asking questions and getting the details of your procedure before receiving treatment. MBCR understands the challenges in receiving a medical bill and successfully resolving a health insurance claim issue. Learn more at www.medicalbillandclaimresolution.com.

Media, consumer advocates and others talk a lot about how many of us are facing absurdly high costs for medical treatments. We know that these charges range significantly from location to location and that many times you may be hit with the majority of the balance. Not everyone, though, is talking about actual, practical ways to protect yourself from excessive costs when you obtain care at a local doctor's office, hospital or other facility. Asking the Right Questions Almost all of the practical strategies for "consumer cost control" in medical offices focus on getting answers from medical providers. Asking relevant questions before, during and after a visit can help you avoid some of the most ridiculous charges that show up on medical bills. One tip is to ask for an itemized list of charges. Itemization of a medical bill will show you whether any costs for a particular procedure have been padded or exaggerated, for example, in bills for supplies and related expenses. Some doctors have begun to bill different aspects of consultation separately and this is another area where an itemized bill can come in handy. Look At the Medical Codes Medical consultants are now advising to look at the CPT codes that show up on your medical bills. CPT codes represent specific procedures and treatments, and you can use these to help find a fair price online. It is becoming increasingly common for individuals to look for these kinds of "blue book values" for medical procedures when negotiating with a provider. Experts also recommend checking out the government's reimbursement rates for Medicare and Medicaid to see if your doctor is charging you too much for a specific procedure. Look for Alternatives Another way to lower overall medical costs is to decline some of the more expensive and less necessary treatments that your doctor may suggest. Lots of medical advocates tell patients to always apply the "BRAIN" ( benefits, risks, alternatives, intuition, nothing) principle to their questions in the doctor's office. This involves looking at the pros and cons of procedures, as well as what lower-priced alternatives may be available, as well as checking your intuition or "gut feeling" about a suggested treatment. Then, evaluate the consequence of delaying treatment for a health condition. One reason that consumer advocates suggest this kind of questioning is that a doctor's suggested treatments are not always the only course of action for any given health condition, and sometimes, a practical approach can reveal perfectly good alternatives that can come with a much lower price tag. Look for Discounts and Other Payment Options Another great tip is to look for payment plans and other options from your local medical providers. Many providers have begun to offer these options to patients. Some patients who are facing high-dollar bills can even qualify for charity, especially if their insurer declined huge portions of their bill. Make sure that you keep all of these strategies handy for dealing with medical bills that threaten to ruin your financial health. MBCR understands the challenges in receiving a medical bill and successfully resolving a health insurance claim issue. Learn more at www.medicalbillandclaimresolution.com.

Experienced consumer advocates and third-party financial consultants know that there are many ways for American families to be threatened by medical bankruptcy because of high medical bills. There are a lot of situations in which even those with medical insurance coverage can still rack up extremely high bills totaling thousands and thousands of dollars, much more than most families can afford to pay, even over a number of years. But it's not always the actual cost of medical care that drives households into medical debt. In a lot of cases, the bills aren't even correct. They may have been denied by health insurance companies for suspicious reasons or they may even include services that were never provided in the first place. Common Problems with Incorrect Medical Bills You may have experienced a pattern of harassing activity with a debt collector contacting you to collect on a bill that you actually did not owe. In some cases, there's a simple clerical error regarding the former patient's name, Social Security number or other identifying information. In other cases, the former patient has already negotiated or paid off the debt, but this doesn't get updated in the debt collector's database. Then there are many other situations where bad customer service systems block a consumer's efforts to set the record straight on medical debt, and the right information never gets to the provider. Some medical offices are notorious for requiring "physical authorization" to release records, which can help trap families in limbo over sky-high medical bills. Don't Pay Incorrect Medical Bills If you experience some of these common problems, don't rush to pay a bill until you can verify that it is legitimate. Send a letter of appeal by certified mail to your health insurance company and your provider. Some consumers have testified that it also helps to contact your local government about devious or illegal practices, especially when debt collectors are going after you for services that you did not receive. It also helps to be straight with debt collectors and talk to them fairly aggressively about your rights under federal and state laws. In some situations, proactive customer service departments will eventually get the message about the liabilities they could face for deceptive or overly aggressive debt collection. Don't be afraid to ask an outside party for help with your medical debt. Third party consumer advocates know how to help American families to pay only what they can on a medical debt and to help them avoid getting trapped in bad credit situations. Document all of your activity around medical debts thoroughly and bring this information into consultation with a legitimate, well experienced consumer advocate to build your case against a collections firm or provider. MBCR understands the challenges in receiving a medical bill and successfully resolving a health insurance claim issue. Learn more at www.medicalbillandclaimresolution.com.

The costs of medical and health care services have been rising steadily for many years, and American consumers are feeling the pinch in a big way. Many American individuals and families are now facing extremely high medical debts, some of them for fairly routine or minor health care procedures or treatments. With the private insurance system looking to offset costs, and very little in the way of a safety net for consumers, medical bankruptcy threatens many thousands of families each year. One step you can take is to compare healthcare costs prior to undergoing treatment. Now, medical advocates are telling American patients to go a step further than many of them are accustomed to: new guidelines from experts in the industry suggest that consumers should be asking medical providers about how much a certain procedure, treatment or even a consultation may cost before they ever step in the door of the medical office. Barriers to Asking Questions About Healthcare Services In prior times, most patients were not used to asking their doctors what something would cost - there was a kind of intuitive understanding that since medical care is something that nobody wants to skimp on, it's not a situation where prices can be negotiated. Over time, that led up to a system where insurance plans, largely those provided by group employers, covered major costs, leaving a patient with a straightforward co-pay or deductible that would represent their total financial responsibility. These days, even a group plan doesn't protect the average consumer from receiving extremely expensive medical bills after getting nearly any kind of health care service. Larger co-pays, larger deductibles and co-insurance mean looming costs for many Americans as medical costs continue to skyrocket and other issues like deceptive out of network charging leave many patients with much more debt than they thought they were going to incur when they arrived at a hospital or other facility. Can Americans Shop for Health Care? What new reports are showing is that the best way to shop around for health care is to ask your insurance company. Most of the efforts at cataloging the various rates that different providers charge for services are done by big insurers like CIGNA, Anthem Blue Cross, and other multi-state insurance companies. Patients can also ask their insurance company which providers have a contractual plan that forces them to charge a certain set price for a given medical service. Over time, this trend will probably continue, to the point where American patients routinely ask their insurance company to help them shop. For most enrolled members, the insurance company has a vested interest in that person getting the cheapest medical care possible. While these kinds of partnerships between private insurers and individual patients can help both parties to rack up less medical debt for the same kinds of treatments and procedures, there's also a great need for more patient education, where consumer advocates are standing in for states and the federal government when it comes to providing fixes for a problem that is challenging the majority of American families today. MBCR understands the challenges in receiving a medical bill and successfully resolving a health insurance claim issue. Learn more at www.medicalbillandclaimresolution.com.

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